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Confessed burglar tells investigators pair 'did it for the thrill'

BRENTWOOD — A Portsmouth woman accused of burglarizing several homes in New Hampshire and Maine with an alleged accomplice confessed to some of the break-ins, telling investigators the two "did it for the thrill," police said in an affidavit.

During an interview with Kensington police, Shannon M. Reed, 24, admitted she burglarized three homes in Kensington, two in Exeter, and two in Hampton Falls late last month.

"Shannon advised that she has a terrible drug habit with synthetic marijuana," Kensington Detective Scott Cain wrote in the affidavit.

The affidavit was filed Wednesday in the Brentwood Circuit Court as the man who allegedly helped carry out the burglary spree was arraigned on three felony counts of conspiracy to commit burglary.

Terry M. Deschenes, 23, of Seabrook, was ordered held at the Rockingham County jail on $25,000 cash bail for the Kensington charges.

He is expected to face additional charges from police departments in other nearby towns.

According to the Kensington police affidavit, Reed was initially reluctant to say Deschenes had entered the homes with her.

"She explained Terry would drive to the residence using his vehicle; he would sit in the driveway and act as a lookout. Shannon and Terry had prearranged meeting spots if an alarm went off or if they were confronted by someone," police said.

Police in Kennebunk, Maine, told Kensington investigators the pair was tied to seven burglaries in Maine, including one where the homeowner was present and confronted them.

Reed, who was arrested last week, remains held in Maine on charges related to the spree. She will eventually be returned to New Hampshire to face charges locally.

Reed told police the spree began in Exeter. One of the homes targeted belonged to one of Deschenes' family members. Police said Deschenes used the bathroom and then stole a camera.

Meanwhile, Reed went across Front Street and entered a home through a basement door. Police said she stole a computer and coins from the residence.

During another burglary on Frying Pan Lane in Hampton Falls, Reed told police she smashed a sliding glass door out but "couldn't fit through the smashed door." Deschenes was able to fit through the broken door, but an alarm went off.

While burglarizing another home on Laurel Lane in Kensington, Reed told police she pushed an air conditioner into the house to gain entry. When the alarm sounded, Reed said she left and walked into the woods.

He eventually arrived in the backyard of a home in Kady Lane in Kensington where she forced open a garage window and crawled inside, police said.

She opened a door to the house and stole a Kindle and a laptop before leaving and meeting up with Deschenes near the residence, police said.

Reed also told police that all of the stolen items were stored in a plastic container with a cover and placed in a wooded area behind the old Ames building in Seabrook.

When police asked Reed to explain where $7,000 in cash came from that was found inside Deschenes' vehicle, she told police that she earned the money from prostitution, the affidavit said.

"She advertised on Craigslist and men would contact her for sex. She stated she made $9,000 in the month of November alone. I asked her why she and Terry were committing burglaries and stealing items from the homes when she had that much money. Shannon stated 'she and Terry did it for the thrill,'" Cain wrote.

When he was interviewed by Kensington police after the two were arrested in Maine last week, Deschenes told police the burglaries were Reed's idea, the affidavit said.

"He said Shannon told him to drive and when she located a house to burglarize she would tell him to stop. He would wait in the driveway and she would go into the house and steal items," the affidavit said.

Deschenes also admitted to police he's addicted to synthetic marijuana.

Later in the interview, Deschenes said he went into a couple of the homes with Reed to protect her in case someone was home, but he also admitted that he knew he was driving Reed around to burglarize homes, police said.

Police said they arrested a Massachusetts man Tuesday for a parole violation stemming from indecent assault and battery on a child in his home state.

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